
NOTE.—"At such gatherings as this, not a few were impressed by the
Saviour's teaching who did not acknowledge Him until after His ascension.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out, and three thousand were converted in
a day, there were among them many who first heard the truth at the table
of the publicans, and some of these became messengers of the gospel. To
Matthew himself the example of Jesus at the feast was a constant lesson. The
despised publican became one of the most devoted evangelists, in his own
ministry following closely in his Master's steps."—The
Desire of Ages,
page 274.
Lesson 9, for June 1, 1946
Fasting; Healing an Infirm Man
LESSON HELP: "The Desire of Ages," pages 276-280, 201-206.
MEMORY VERSE: "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
And immediately the Man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on
the same day was the Sabbath." John 5:8,9.
LESSON HELP: "The Desire of Ages," pages 276-280, 201-206.
Fasting
1.
What question did the disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus?
What was His reply? Matt. 9:14; Luke 5:33, 34.
2.
What did Jesus say about the time when it would be appro-
priate for His disciples to fast? Luke 5:35.
NOTE.—"It was a bright picture which the words of Christ had called up,
but across it lay a heavy shadow, which His eye alone discerned. 'The days
will come,' He said, 'when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them,
and then shall they fast in those days.' When they should see their Lord
betrayed and crucified, the disciples would mourn and fast. In His last words
to them in the upper chamber, He said, 'A little while, and ye shall not see
Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall
be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.'
"—The Desire of Ages,
page 277.
3.
By what parables did Jesus endeavor to win His hearers from
the traditions and superstitions of the Pharisees to His teachings
and those of John? Luke 5:36-38.
NOTE.—"The faith that works by love and purifies the soul could find no
place for union with the religion of the Pharisees, made up of ceremonies and
the injunctions of men. The effort to unite the teachings of Jesus with the
established religion would be vain. The vital truth of God, like fermenting
wine, would burst the old, decaying bottles of the Pharisaical tradition."—
The Desire of Ages,
page 279.
4.
By what symbols are the teachings of Christ and of the Phari-
sees contrasted? Luke 5:39.
NOTE.—"The teaching of Christ, though it was represented by the new
wine, was not a new doctrine, but the revelation of that which had been
taught from the beginning. But to the Pharisees the truth of God had lost its
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